In 2021, almost 30 million Christmas trees were sold in Germany. (Statista).
The most popular are Nordmann firs with a share of 75 percent, followed by blue spruces
(Der Spiegel).
The Nordmann fir, which is popular in this country, is not a native plant. Often the
seeds come from far away. The transport of the Christmas trees themselves, but also the transport of the seeds cause
CO2 emissions (VDI).
Most Christmas trees in this country come from plantations. These are huge monocultures that also deprive wildlife of its habitat. Above all, herbicides and pesticides are used frequently (WWF).
The cultivation of Christmas trees pollutes soils, waters and ecosystems. The ecological balance of a tree from the forest is four times better than that of a cultivated fir ( German Environment Agency).
In most cases, discarded Christmas trees end up in biomass power plants for electricity and
district heating: When burned, the tree releases the CO2 previously stored from the environment and electricity and heat are generated (VDI).
​
Englisch:
The sound mixes original recordings from the set with the sonification of various pulsars. Pulsars are dead stars, "star remnants" that spin around themselves at different speeds.
Sound: original sound
Pulsar CP1133, May 9, 1968, Puerto Rico. Credits: Bob Patterson K5DZE
Pulsar "Vela", West Virginia, Credits: Bob Patterson K5DZE
​